Rental scam using Airbnb? How should I go forward, if at all?

[Elizabeth103]

I have been trying to find an apartment and found a listing on a popular rental website (not Airbnb). We started e-mailing, and the owner told me that he lives in Spain and will be using Airbnb's services for payment. It didn't seem strange until this last email. What bothers me about this is that it doesn't seem to follow any of Airbnb's practices. It also threw up other rental scam red flags, such as the fact that he wants me to pay before seeing the property, he's asking for my personal information outside the Airbnb platform, and the place doesn't come up on the Airbnb search list. Here is the portion of the most recent e-mail that I find odd, copy/pasted, edited for clarity:

"If you decide to proceed with this transaction, I will need your phone number along with your full name and address where you can be contacted for the keys and the rental contract. Then I will start the process through Airbnb here in Spain, providing them your information. Next you will receive a notification message from them, containing a receipt with all the instructions that you need to follow in order to complete the process and receive the keys and the rental contract.
Regarding the payment, you will get all the necessarily [sic] instructions on the invoice, so you can deposit the money for the first month along with the warranty, into an escrow bank account from AIRBNB. They will hold and insure your money until you check the apartment and decide if you want to rent it or not.
As soon as you will complete the deposit of $1,100 + $1,100 = $2,200 into their bank account, an agent from Airbnb will meet and show you the property. You will be given one day inspection period to take a decision and [in case you are not satisfied with the apartment], next day the total amount will be refunded to you by Airbnb. If you'll like the flat then you can keep the keys, sign the contract, and we will fix a date for the monthly payment, that it has to be done by you directly to my personal bank account."

There's a lot about the whole exchance that seems quite.... off. The more I think about it, the stranger it sounds. There is nothing on Airbnb about "escrow accounts," etc. It just smells terribly fishy, and I want to make certain that my eagerness and need for a place to go doesn't get me ensnared into some scammer's net. 

So, what are your thoughts on this? 

[Sarah3397]

Hi! I live in Washington, DC and I’ve been looking at apartments through Craigslist. I also got an email from Debbie Allen. I decided to google her email and was brought to this page because the deal seemed too good for DC. Did she almost trick you as well?!

[Sandy584]

She changed her email with me! Her email was 

**[Personal information removed in line with - Community Center Guidelines]

[Michał36]

Hey i have the same mail fake from booking@escrow-reservation.com bookingu apartment in Poland in Stargard City from host  Ewa Karggen

[Iga325]

A similar case in Freiburg, Germany. The person, supposedly being called Wilko Teifke, posted an long-term rental ad on a German housing website Immowelt. There was no mention of Airbnb until their second email:

"Hallo,

Der Mietpreis für 1 Monat beträgt 495EURO mit allen Rechnungen inklusive (Heizung, Strom, Gas, Wasserkosten, Müll, Grundsteuer, Gebäudeversicherung, Kabel-TV,Internetund Parkplatz), und ich möchte auch eine Kaution von 495E, ohne zusätzliche Steuern. Also im ersten Monat muss man 990 EUR bezahlen.Zukünftig müssen Sie die Miete monatlich auf mein Bankkonto ,Ich hoffe, das wird kein Problem für Sie sein. Ich bin bereit, die Schlüssel zu schicken, damit Sie die Wohnung besichtigen, überprüfen und die Papiere unterschreiben können. Die Schlüsselübergabe und der von mir unterzeichnete Mietvertrag werden von Air-Bnb durchgeführt. Sie helfen uns auch dabei, eine Transaktion mit Dritten durchzuführen, damit Sie sich in diesem Geschäft sicher fühlen können.

Zu starten die Transaktion Ich brauche die folgenden Angaben:

Vollständiger Name:

Postleitzahl:

Stadt:

Adresse:

Land:

Handynummer:

Mietdauer, die Sie bleiben möchten:

Lassen Sie mich nun erklären, wie die Transaktion funktioniert:

Nachdem ich alle diese Details erhalten habe, kann ich zum Büro von AirB gehen und die Transaktion starten. Nachdem Sie die Benachrichtigung von Bnb erhalten haben, müssen Sie die Einzahlung vornehmen. Ich muss Ihnen mitteilen, dass die Zahlung innerhalb von 48 Stunden oder früher nach Beginn der Transaktion erfolgen muss.Wenn Sie jedoch aus irgendeinem Grund nicht mit der Wohnung zufrieden sind, wird der Agent Ihr Geld sofort zurückgeben, und ich werde meine Schlüssel und Dokumente zurück erhalten (Ich werde diese Bedingung auf den Mietvertrag schreiben, um sicherzustellen, dass Sie Ihr Geld zurückerhalten) .Auch wenn Sie jetzt eine andere Wohnung haben und Sie nicht sofort umziehen können, können wir den Deal so machen, wie ich es jetzt erklärt habe, und es nur als Inspektion und Reservierung betrachten, bis Sie dorthin umziehen können.Ich bezahle die Dienstleistungen der Agentur, so dass für Sie keine Kosten entstehen.Ich warte auf Ihre schnelle Antwort, denn es gibt mehrere andere, die an der Wohnung interessiert sind, und ich muss wissen, ob ich auf einen Deal mit Ihnen zählen kann."

Translation:

"Hi,

The rent for 1 month is 495EURO with all bills included (heating, electricity, gas, water, garbage, property tax, building insurance, cable TV, internet and parking spot), and I would also like a deposit of 495E, without additional taxes. So in the first month you have to pay 990 EUR. In the future you have to pay the rent monthly to my bank account, I hope that will not be a problem for you. I am ready to send the keys so that you can inspect the apartment, check it and sign the papers. The key handover and the rental contract signed by me are carried out by Air-Bnb. They also help us conduct a transaction with third parties so that you can feel safe in this business.

To start the transaction I need the following information:

Full name:

Post Code:

City:

Address:

Country:

Mobile phone number:

Rental period:

Now let me explain how the transaction works:

After getting all of these details, I can go to AirB's office and start the transaction. After receiving the notification from Bnb, you must make the deposit. I have to inform you that payment must be made within 48 hours or earlier of the start of the transaction, but if for any reason you are not happy with the apartment the agent will return your money immediately and I will return my keys and documents (I will write this condition on the lease to make sure you get your money back). Even if you now have another apartment and you cannot move in immediately, we can do the deal as I have now explained, and just consider it an inspection and reservation until you can move there. I pay the agency's services so that there are no costs for you. I am waiting for your quick response because there are several others who are interested in the apartment, and I need to know if I can count on a deal with you."

[Alvaro300]

Hi.

I have been scammed, 1200 €. It was one month ago. I live in UK and I did the wire transfer to Spain. I am Spanish.

I reported it to the website, police, my bank and airbandb. I hope the police will contact me soon.

The scammers used someone's passport and now they have mine. I told police that too.

I think the best way to try to stop this is by reporting to police, so they can contact the bank or other country police and catch the guy by the bank account the payment is made to.Right? . They can not fake bank accounts , can they?

[Quynh35]

hi @Alvaro300 i also sent money to a bank account in Spain. can you tell me if you got the money back? 😞

[Larisa89]

I'm living in Switzerland. I also had such a proposal to rent an apartment in Basel. I warn you to answer an email from some Maria Machado: chadoma39@gmail.com

[Jiyoung13]

I received a similar email and this brought me to this site. thanks for sharing your case. Looks like this is a scam.

I have a contract with Airbnb, one of the biggest rental property management companies in the world, with millions of happy customers every month and they will be the ones taking care of everything, in order for you to move properly. You will pay Airbnb and they will keep a hold of the money until you agree to move in. An Airbnb agent will be assigned to meet you having in his possession the House keys and the tenancy agreement already signed in my name. He will be authorized to intermediate the deal and also to show you a complete tour of the property. If you really consider that this is what you are looking for, you will be able to sign the agreement on the spot or you will also have the option to ask for a refund directly from the agent via bank transfer or cash(if you decide not to rent it), but I'm pretty sure it will not be the case. The house is in perfect condition and we are 100% covered by Airbnb. I have moved with my work to Madrid, Spain for the next 3 years and I'm interested in renting through Airbnb only for a long term, minimum of 3 months.
Now if you want to move forward I will need some details from you in order to register this contract with Airbnb:

* your complete name;
* the date when you want to move;
* the period of time you want to rent the house;
* how many people will live in the house;
* your whats app phone number;

[Sarah977]

@Jiyoung13  Most definitely a scam. Report it to the site you originally found the ad on.

[Wei-En0]

I got the same email! I saw it on FB. I was doubting at first but now it's pretty clear that it is a SCAM!

email address used:  ab2@davitahealth.club  

Name: Debbie Allen

Propert Address: 5809 Monterey Rd, Los Angeles, CA

first email:

Hello,
my apartment at 5809 Monterey Rd, it is still available. Has 2 bedroom, 2,5 bathroom. Rent 1000 which includes all the utilities. Pet friendly. If are you really interested replay me including some information
about you as a renter. Furthermore, will you live there by yourself ? When do you plan to move in? For how long you intend to rent the place?
Thanks

Second email after asking what utilities are included etc...

Hi,
Thanks for your reply. We own the place and our daughter lived there until 2 month ago when she got married and she moved to WA.
That`s why we decided to rent it.

Unfortunately, because of my job, it will be a bit difficult to meet you personally now, for the moment we are in NY and I am unable to travel right now. End of January I was there to meet a couple who was interested, but they never showed up, and it's not comfortable to fly back and forth from NY, especially when work commitments are made. Because of that we decide to make everything through Airbnb, an international company that mainly deals with rentals.
They will organize the inspection and will also assist you in managing the payment.

I`ll make the booking registration for you with Airbnb, and they will send you by e-mail the booking confirmation containing all the rental information including the payment information.
You`ll have to make a down payment of 1 month of rent to Airbnb and after they will receive it, an agent will be assigned for your reservation, which will contact you to inspect the place. Can be even the same day when the down payment was made.

If you like the place, you`ll sign the lease, you`ll get the keys from the Airbnb agent and you can move in right away.
The down payment is 100% refundable, after the inspection if you do not like the place and you do not want to rent it, Airbnb will return your down payment in full immediately.

If you would like to proceed, please give me your details (full name, current address and phone number) and we will make the registration for you with Airbnb.

Third email she's getting impatient after I keep asking if I need to pay to know more info on the property:

Hi,
Okay, let me explain to you again shortly how this is working.

First of all I`ll have to make the booking under your name with Airbnb, and of course they will send you the booking confirmation and the payment details.
After that, you`ll have to send the down payment to Airbnb (one month of rent) and after they will receive your down payment, an agent will be assigned with your transaction.
The agent will contact you and you`ll set up all the details with him, the meeting day, hour and so on.
As I said, can be done even the same day when the down payment was made.

The down payment is a simple formality and is 100% refundable, after the inspection if you do not like the place and you do not want to rent it, Airbnb will return your down payment in full immediately.
The refund can be done even in cash on site, directly from the Airbnb agent.

I attached photos.

I regretted not seeing this discussion before sending my personal info. But I have not yet pay anything as I'm waiting to see if it's legit.

[Alex6647]

I was emailing back and forth with a "Debbie Allen" this morning! SAME SCAMMER!!

THEM:

Hello
You sent me an email asking about my apartment in  3523 Chestnut St. The
unit is still available.
It is a 2 beds & 1 bath unit and the rent is $900 with utilities included.
The unit is not a shared one, so you`l have it all for yourself.
I would like also to know something about yourself if you want to rent
it. For how long do you plan to live there ?
I would like also to know something about yourself if you want to rent it.
Will you live there by yourself ? When do you plan to move in? For how
long you intend to rent the place?

Thank you

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

ME:

Hi,

I would live there indefinitely, or would plan to for at least one year. 

I'd live there by myself (with my cats). The property is pet friendly, correct?

Are you giving tours on the property now? Or is that on hold due to COVID? I'd love to see it!

Thanks!

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

THEM:

Hi,

Thanks for your reply. We own the place and our daughter lived there until January when she got married and she moved back to CA.
That`s why we decided to rent it. Yes the unit is pet friendly.

Unfortunately, because of my job, it will be a bit difficult to meet you personally for the moment, we are from CA and I am unable to travel right now. End of February I was there to meet a couple who was interested, but they never showed up, and it's not comfortable to fly back and forth from CA, especially when work commitments are made. Because of that we decide to make everything through Airbnb, an international company that mainly deals with rentals.
They will organize the inspection and will also assist you in managing the payment.

I`ll make the booking registration for you with Airbnb, and they will send you by e-mail the booking confirmation containing all the rental information including the payment information.
You`ll have to make a down payment of 1 month of rent to Airbnb and after they will receive it, an agent will be assigned for your reservation, which will contact you to inspect the place. Can be even the same day when the down payment was made.

If you like the place, you`ll sign the lease, you`ll get the keys from the Airbnb agent and you can move in right away.
The down payment is 100% refundable, after the inspection if you do not like the place and you do not want to rent it, Airbnb will return your down payment in full immediately.

If you would like to proceed, please give me your details (full name, current address and phone number) and we will make the registration for you with Airbnb.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

ME:

Is there any way to at least see the property without paying a deposit first?

Thanks!

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

THEM:

Hi,

I`m sorry but those are the terms and conditions of Airbnb for any long term rental. If the down payment for one month is not made, they can not proceed with the inspection.
As I was saying, the down payment is a simple formality and by paying you are not obliged to rent the apartment.
The down payment is 100% refundable, after the inspection if you do not like the place and you do not want to rent it, Airbnb will return your down payment in full immediately.

I guarantee for Airbnb and I assure you that everything will be all right, there is nothing to worry about.
For your safety I attached my ID, I am a serious and honest person, I`m not a thief.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

ME:

Would you mind sending me the listing on AirBNB? I already have an account through them.

Thanks!

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

****No response after that last e-mail. I’d sent my last email after I’d confirmed through other resources that she wasn’t the owner of the property and after having a length conversation with an AirBNB representative. She did in fact follow through with attaching a drivers license of a woman named Debbie Allen in California. Her email was also different than the one she was going by in your exchanges. It was biocare@ecopharminc.site.

[Phaishonne0]

I received a very similar email. $900 a month with utilities is too good a deal for San Jose. When she revealed that I’d have to pay first, I knew it was a scam. Not to mention the poor use of the English language.

[Nelly277]

Just received the same email from two different persons. Thanks to this forum I didn't fall for it. 

The link to their property was https://airbnb-com.room-55980559.com/1/payment/19/details-nnqkdkrj/symVefcmnQ

Totaly scam. 

[Pino53]

Oh my GOD! I've just seen a posting for an apartment on roomster.com and emailed the renter. She told me she has to move back to Madrid, Spain. And the rest is history! After one email, she urged me to send over my ID haha. You can read the email here:

"The whole apartment is for rent no matter how many you are staying in. As I told you in my first email, the entire rental process is already arranged with Airbnb, where I left the keys and the rental agreement signed by me. They will handle the payment and the delivery of keys. The transaction will be made through the Airbnb system and this is how the owner and tenant protection policy works:
To secure the apartment, you must book it through the Airbnb platform. It is required the first month's rent CAD $900 and $900 deposit (refundable). The keys and the rental agreement will be delivered to you by a designated Airbnb agent within 24 hours after payment has been made through the Airbnb platform. When the inspection is finished, if you are satisfied with the apartment, all you have to do is to sign the rental agreement and move in. After you move in, the future monthly payment will be sent directly to my bank account. If you do not like the apartment and you do not sign the rental agreement, you will receive a full refund of your Airbnb deposit and first month rent the same day you've made your decision.
If you wish to continue reply with your full name, phone number/whatsapp, current address and a photo of your ID and I will send you the reservation invitation by email so that you can make the reservation through the Airbnb platform.
Thank you for your time and I look forward to receiving news from you."

I sensed something fishy and fortunately, I've found this forum. Beware!

Disgusting scammers!!!

[Sandy584]

Hello
You sent me an email asking about my apartment in  1014 W Barry Ave. The
unit is still available.
It is a 1 bed & 1 bath unit and the rent is $700 with utilities included.
The unit is not a shared one, so you`l have it all for yourself.
I would like also to know something about yourself if you want to rent it.
Will you live there by yourself ? When do you plan to move in? For how
long you intend to rent the place?

Hi,

Thanks for your reply. We own the place and our daughter lived there until January when she got married and she moved back to CA.
That`s why we decided to rent it. Utilities included (• High-Speed Internet • Utilities: water/gas/electricity/heating/garbage • TV Cable • Parking Spot).

Unfortunately, because of my job, it will be a bit difficult to meet you personally for the moment, we are from CA and I am unable to travel right now. End of February I was there to meet a couple who was interested, but they never showed up, and it's not comfortable to fly back and forth from CA, especially when work commitments are made. Because of that we decide to make everything through Airbnb, an international company that mainly deals with rentals.
They will organize the inspection and will also assist you in managing the payment.

I`ll make the booking registration for you with Airbnb, and they will send you by e-mail the booking confirmation containing all the rental information including the payment information.
You`ll have to make a down payment of 1 month of rent to Airbnb and after they will receive it, an agent will be assigned for your reservation, which will contact you to inspect the place. Can be even the same day when the down payment was made.

If you like the place, you`ll sign the lease, you`ll get the keys from the Airbnb agent and you can move in right away.
The down payment is 100% refundable, after the inspection if you do not like the place and you do not want to rent it, Airbnb will return your down payment in full immediately.

If you would like to proceed, please give me your details (full name, current address and phone number) and we will make the registration for you with Airbnb.

Best,
Debbie

I Unfortunately did give them some info, and even got an Email from  "Airbnb" shortly after to make payment through Bitcoin ATM.

Saw these posts, and decided to give official Airbnb a little call.  They NEVER send emails to a personal email.  All emails would be sent through their WEBSITE. They DON'T make/receive payments through Bitcoin App/ATM. 

It is a SCAM.  Thank goodness I didn't send money and found this thread!!